Kimi Antonelli looks back on a spectacular start to the season. The 19-year-old driver outperformed his more experienced teammate in recent races and leads the world championship with a twenty-point advantage. Despite his three convincing wins, former world champion Jenson Button still sees clear room for improvement. According to the Brit, there is especially much to gain for Antonelli at the starts.
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According to Button, Antonelli will become ‘unbeatable’ once he improves at the starts. The statistics support that analysis. In all six standing starts this season – including two sprint races – Antonelli lost one or more positions each time. Miami was not flawless either: from pole position he dropped back to third place, after which he benefited from the chaos around Max Verstappen’s spin and eventually continued the race in second, behind Charles Leclerc.
Better starts
Mercedes partly took responsibility for the poor starts after the sprint in Miami by acknowledging that Antonelli had received incorrect settings, which were later adjusted for the Grand Prix. That explained part of the inconsistency, but not everything – and that is exactly where Button sees room for growth in the young Italian. “He is really impressive,” said Button in a broadcast on Sky Sports. “There was also a bit of luck involved in his first two wins. That’s not bad; we all need that as drivers. It’s clear that he took advantage of that and at the same time showed his speed.”
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In Miami, however, it was entirely Antonelli’s merit that he achieved his third win, Button judges. “He was initially a bit under pressure, but he fought through it and his speed at the end of the race was extremely impressive.” According to Button, the young Mercedes driver is not yet the complete package. “I think there is still a lot of room for improvement in his races,” he concluded. “He struggles with the starts and loses places in almost every race. But once he masters that, he will become unbeatable.”
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